Schrödinger's Kitchen

Exploration: Nacheez

2011-04-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

I am a sucker for cooking contests. It's always fun to experiment with a specific ingredient - in this case, Nacheez. Nacheez is an amazing food that is delicious and bright orange just like 7-11 nacho cheese - but is somehow healthy and free of animal ingredients. In short, it is amazing.

Full disclosure: Nacheez is the creation of my dear and lovely friend, Ilsa Hess.

I tried out a number of different recipes for a local Nacheez cooking contest and will list them all below. But personally, I think Nacheez is best just warmed up (or not) and put onto tortilla chips. But since you can't eat nachos every day of the week, no matter how good they are, here are some other ideas.

The first is the actual recipe I entered into the contest. It was the winner of my personal quest for the best Nacheez recipe I could develop, and it took second prize at the contest itself.

Banana Nacheez Empanadas

You will need:
Bananas
Spicy Nacheez
Pizza dough (I used Trader Joe's brand, but you can make your own)

Heat the oven according to instructions for dough. On a floured surface, roll out dough into empanada-size rounds (hint: they need to be bigger than you think they do).

Chop up the banana and place a few slices on each empanada, covering less than half of the round so that you can later fold it over.

Top the banana with one or two tablespoons of Nacheez.

Fold the empty half of the empanada round over the filled half. Pinch edges down with fork.

Heat according to instructions for dough and enjoy!

Figure 1: Banana Nacheez Empanada How-To

Figure 2: The final product (after a couple bites)

Another good recipe was Nacheezy Scalloped Potatoes, adapted from my mother's Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes recipe. Originally, I used rosemary in the potatoes, but it interacted badly with the otherwise delicious tang of the Nacheez.

Nacheezy Scalloped Potatoes

You will need:
3 jars of mild Nacheez
4 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 tsp chopped thyme
1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread two jars of Nacheez in the bottom of a casserole dish.
Layer potatoes and onion in dish, then top with rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.
Spread one jar of Nacheez over the top.
Top with Panko.
Bake until potatoes are tender – about one hour.
Makes 8 (3/4 cup) servings.

Figure 3: Nacheezy Scalloped Potatoes

I made the same recipe With cauliflower to great effect - I liked it better, but my boyfriend Nathan preferred the potatoes.

Figure 4: Here it is with cauliflower

And finally, my second-favorite: Baby Ghandi Hot Dogs. I grew up in a Christian household, and we would eat "Baby Samuel Hot Dogs" named after a story from the Old Testament. They were a scrumptious and simple dish consisting of a hot dog frank and a small slice of cheese, wrapped in a Pillsbury crescent roll. When we had them near Christmas one year, I called them Baby Jesus Hot Dogs. And it seems only fitting that this vegan version is a Baby Gandhi Hot Dog.

Baby Ghandi Hot Dogs

You will need:
Your favorite veggie hot dog frank
Spicy Nacheez
Store-bought crescent rolls (check the label, but most brands are vegan)

Preheat over according to instructions on crescent rolls.
Cut a slit into each frank, about half-way through to the bottom, and not quite reaching the ends of the frank.
Carefully (or not) fill the franks with Nacheez.
Roll each Nacheezy frank into a roll.
Bake according to instructions on crescent rolls.

Figure 5: A Baby Gandhi Hot Dog, a basic Nacheez crescent (also delicious), and the control: a plain crescent roll.

It is a testament to the beauty of Nacheez that as I was experimenting with all these recipes over the course of weeks, I never got tired of the stuff. And of course, there are a million other different ways it can be used. The winner of the contest was a Nacheez cream of broccoli soup. I'd recommend this stuff to anybody.

CHALLENGE: Create a delicious vegan breakfast

2010-01-10T11:29:00.000-08:00

CHALLENGE: Create a delicious vegan breakfast

MODIFIED CHALLENGE: Create three delicious vegan breakfasts in 24 hours

ACCOMPLISHED: Created two delicious vegan breakfasts and one imaginary one in three hours

BACKGROUND: I deeply admire my vegan friends and their commitment to abolish animal suffering caused by the human diet. But I've always considered breakfast nearly impossible to make without using animal products. So I challenged myself to create some morning meals that were free of dairy and eggs, yet still satisfying and nutritious. And I did it!

I invited some friends over at noon on Saturday, and had hoped to spend Friday night and Saturday morning getting ready. However, my Friday night went off-track and I ended up with only a little bit of time on Saturday morning. I am listing the three breakfasts I planned to make below, but I had to give up on "The Sweet Tooth" because I didn't make the oatmeal the night before. This is usually an extremely delicious way to start the day, but it does require a little bit of forethought.

BREAKFAST #1: THE SWEET TOOTH
1. Crockpot Oatmeal
2. Toast and Peanutbutter - your favorite brands
3. Fresh Fruit - your preference

BREAKFAST #2: CRACKER BARREL ON MUSHROOMS
1. Grits - store bought, following instructions on the box
2. Sweet Potato Home Fries (recipe below)
3. Sweet Potato Biscuits - note: I also made "Buttermilk" Biscuits but this one was the clear winner and MUCH easier to make
4. "Sausage" Gravy or Mushroom Gravy - note: there was no clear winner between the gravies. It would be quite simple to create your own using your favorite ingredients from each - they are both very simple to make. You can even ignore the instructions to shake some of the ingredients together in a jar. Just mix them together and see what you get.

BREAKFAST #3: MEXICAN FOOD REHAB
1. Chilaquiles (recipe below)
2. Corn Tortillas - store bought
3. Pinto Beans - store bought, sauteed with a touch of onion and jalapeno

I am amazed at how easy it was to make so much food in so little time, none of it involving animal products. I set the various components on the table with a tub of Earth Balance Spread and voila! Delicious vegan breakfasts.

Recipe for Sweet Potato Home Fries - my apologies for losing track of who gets credit for this.
You will need:

1 lb sweet potatoes or yams
1/2 cup leek, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Plenty of olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Peel the sweet potatoes and chop them into bite-sized chunks. Steam them until just tender, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook. Plunge them into cold water to stop cooking.

Transfer sweet potatoes, leek, garlic, and rosemary into baking dish. Cover liberally with olive oil, preferably extra virgin. Toss in some salt.

Bake at 500 degrees until they look delicious, about 15-20 minutes. Serve.

My Very Rough Recipe for Vegan Chilaquiles

You will need:
Enchilada sauce (use this recipe or just buy it at a store - Rosarita is the best brand according to our blind taste tests)
Corn tortillas
Plenty of vegetable oil
Yves Meatless Ground Taco Stuffers
An onion, diced
Half a jalapeno, diced

First, heat a couple of inches of vegetable oil in a saucepan. Cut the tortillas into strips and fry them in the oil until crisp, but not quite as crisp as a tortilla chip. Dry the tortillas on a towel.

In another pan, sautee the onion and jalapenos in a bit of oil. Add spice as you see fit - I put in some cayenne and some chili powder. Once the onion is transluscent, add the package of Yves Meatless Ground. Sautee a few more minutes then add enchilada sauce until the mixture is the consistency that you desire.

Serve over the fried tortilla strips and enjoy!

Experiment: Preserving the Bubbliness of Champagne

2009-04-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

Null Hypothesis (what we assume is true if we cannot prove otherwise): A spoon has no effect on the bubbliness of a bottle of champagne.

Alternative Hypothesis (what we are trying to prove): A metal spoon placed in the mouth of a champagne bottle overnight keeps the champagne more bubbly.

We will accept the null hypothesis if the majority of study participants note that a champagne stored in a bottle with a metal spoon is more bubbly than champagne stored in a bottle with a plastic spoon or no spoon.

Methods

Four bottles of Schloss Biebrich were purchased at Trader Joe’s on Wednesday, April 8, 2009. Four bottles of Ballatore were purchased at Safeway on Thursday, April 9, 2009. All eight bottles were kept at room temperature until 8:30 pm on Thursday, April 9. At this time, the four bottles of Schloss Biebrich were placed on the top shelf of the refrigerator, upright. The four bottles of Ballatore were placed on the second shelf of the refrigerator, also upright.

At 5:15 on Friday, April 10, 2009, all of the bottles of Schloss were removed from the refrigerator. Three of the four bottles were opened. Each of these three had 0.25 cups of champagne removed. Of these three, one received no treatment, one had a metal spoon placed in its mouth, and one had a plastic spoon placed in its mouth. All four bottles were placed back in the refrigerator at 5:20 pm.

At 5:30 pm, the bottles of Ballatore received the same treatment.

At 1:50 pm on Saturday, April 11, 2009, all eight bottles were removed from the refrigerator. The two unopened bottles were opened and a quarter of a cup of champagne was removed from each. The spoons were removed from each of the remaining bottles, if applicable, and a researcher labeled each bottle of Schloss 1 through 4, and each bottle of Ballatore 1 through 4, in no particular order. This researcher kept a list of the numbers corresponding to each treatment. The researcher then left the kitchen.

Another researcher, out of sight of the original researcher, relabeled the bottles A – D in no particular order, for each of the types of champagne. This researcher kept a list of the numbers corresponding to each letter.

Because of this process, both researchers and all participants were blind to the treatments performed on the champagne, until the lists were later compared and reconciled.

Each participant was given eight plastic cups, filled to a pre-marked line, labeled SA, SB, SC, SD, BA, BB, BC, and BD. Participants were instructed to rate the champagnes in order of bubbliness, comparing SA, SB, SC, and SD to each other; and comparing BA, BB, BC, and BD to each other. Participants were encouraged to make a visual observation of each before confirming with an oral observation.

Results

Among the five subjects, the champagnes were rated as follows. A score of 1 is most bubbly, and 4 is least bubbly.

Schloss Biebrich

Unopened 2.4

Metal spoon 2.4

Opened 2.4

Plastic spoon 2.8

Ballatore

Opened 1.6

Unopened 1.8

Plastic spoon 3

Metal spoon 3.6

Discussion

This experiment was inconclusive at best. The results do not warrant rejection of the null hypothesis. This does not mean that I accept the null hypothesis as fact, it simply means there is not enough evidence to reject it at this time.

Why were the results inconclusive? For two main reasons.

First, there were only five participants. I don’t know what else a girl has to do in order to find friends to sip champagne in her grassy backyard on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. But whatever it was, I didn’t do it. As a result, I only had five data points, two of which were also researchers. So the data is not only miniscule, it is also possibly tainted.

Second, it is clear that the human eyes and mouth may not be sensitive enough to appropriately determine bubbliness of champagne. For example, the open bottle of Ballatore was rated the most bubbly, even bubblier than the unopened bottle. I suppose it is possible that the opened bottle was really, for some reason, the bubbliest. But I doubt it.

What I need is another study, one that doesn’t rely so much on human judgments.

I have an idea for an experiment that involves balloons, towels, and washing machines…but I think the best way to determine the truth would be for my lovely friend Maya to find me an actual instrument to measure the dissolved gas in the liquids.

Conclusion

None.

Well, maybe one: All my friends besides Nathan, Todd, Sarah, and Maya hate fun.

Also, next time I should designate someone else as the photographer.

What you can expect from this blog

2009-04-18T00:46:00.000-07:00

This food blog (or flog) is dedicated first and foremost to my enjoyment. Let's make that much perfectly clear. I want to have fun and express myself - who doesn't? - and this is a way for me to do that.

The organizing principle will be science - not science as a body of knowledge, but science as a process for arriving at the truth. In that vein, you can expect to see four different types of posts in general: exploration, experimentation, challenges, and creation.

Explorations will be a way for me to make a foray into some sort of new idea or ingredient. I plan on exploring wasabi and tamarind in the near future, both of which are ingredients I have never before used in my cooking. I'll see what they are like to work with and what can be made from them.

Experiments are a way to use the scientific method to test a hypothesis and (hopefully) arrive at a conclusion. The best kind of experiment on human subjects is a controlled double-blind experiment testing against a placebo. The null and alternative hypotheses should be stated in advance, as well as conditions for rejecting the null hypothesis. That is, you say in advance what is required in order to say that the hypothesis you tested is true. I will try to use this process to determine, for example, whether placing a metal spoon in the mouth of a bottle of champagne preserves the bubbles.

Challenges will be a way for readers and friends to dare me to do something new and exciting or just silly. I've already accepted a challenge to create a dinner party with all yellow dishes and to make a delicious vegan breakfast.

And "creation" is just a fancy word for something I made that doesn't fall into the above categories. It's more fun and mad-scientisty than the word "recipe."

Thank you for reading and helping me use this flog to have the most delicious fun possible! I welcome questions, comments, and - best of all - challenges!

Under Construction

2009-03-31T10:47:00.000-07:00

There's not much here yet, folks.

But stay tuned.

Soon, this will be a site of experimentation and cooking involving a person named Kat and vegetables from a box.

Schrödinger's Kitchen, indeed!